Applications of hair treatment compositions to distinct hair strands allow to achieve a different look than a full head application. Hair treatment compositions for providing such hair strand effects include highlighting compositions, dyeing compositions and styling compositions. Dyeing and styling compositions, in particular, are used to accommodate changes in fashion and style and to provide masking of the first grey hair.
Although under the term highlighting it is understood to be the selection of hair strands which are lightened at least one shade lighter than the rest of the hair, the results expected by consumers are quite variable, from subtle multi-tonal effects and natural colour variations to more bold and daring effects. To achieve a personal customization of the end-look, the consumer can choose to perform highlighting by employing home highlighting kits or may visit a professional stylist.
Professionals have a number of devices and techniques at their disposal which together with training and years of experience allow the variety of results expected by the consumers to be delivered. However, due to the accuracy and length of the process, the consumer is required to regularly spend a number of hours at the salon in order to complete the process. Because of the long time and effort employed by the professionals to achieve the expected end results, a high premium is also demanded by the professional stylists for their services.
The home highlighting product market is vast, financially accessible to consumers and offers various products to deliver practically any desired hair lift.
However, a number of drawbacks are associated with using home hair highlighting treatments without assistance of a professional and some attempts to address these problems are known in the art.
Application articles composed of multiple layers of different materials as well as sponges able to deliver cosmetic compositions are generally known. The combination of such application articles with devices or tools is also known. One example is an applicator comprising a cylinder-shaped reservoir for containing a hair treatment composition, wherein said reservoir has a lateral opening where an elastic deformable material is lodged. Through that opening the hair strand is set into communication with the composition contained in the reservoir. Another example is an applicator comprising an applicator portion and a fastening means. The applicator portion comprises an elastically compressible container where the hair treatment composition is lodged. The user positions a hair strand between one finger and the container. Upon application of pressure on the compressible container, the composition contained therein is released onto the hair strand. Other examples include hair cosmetic applicators which have two hinged plates, each carrying either bags comprising hair treatment compositions or sheet brush covered by non-woven fabric impregnated with hair treatment compositions. Applicators comprising two interlocking hinged plates covered with an absorbent material are also known and work as a replacement for foils used by stylists in professional salons.
It is generally recognized that self-application of highlighting compositions are difficult per se and they may not become easier if carried out with an inappropriate application device. An applicator device capable of facilitating self-application of hair treatment compositions needs to consider and address several technical challenges to achieve the expected end results in a clean and tidy fashion/manner.
First of all, the application of hair treatment compositions at the back of the head is complicated as it requires the user to select hair strands by judging on a mirror image. The more complicated the strand selection and application are, the longer the users are obliged to maintain their arms over their head, creating discomfort and affecting the overall results. Furthermore, the user naturally rotates the device by 180° to achieve highlights at the back of the head. Thus, even applicators which successfully contain the hair treatment composition for applications on the front or side of the head, may not perform efficiently and may cause impairment of the self-application at the back of the head.
The technical challenge to prevent leaking and oozing out of the compositions from the applicator should not be considered only in view of the orientation of the applicator during application. Applicators for self-application of hair treatment compositions should be designed to prevent leaking and oozing of the hair treatment composition from the applicator during the whole application experience as the unpleasant nature of some compositions, such as highlighting compositions may cause bleaching if dripped onto the consumer's home surfaces, skin and clothes.
Leaking and oozing are unwanted not only for cleanness purposes. To achieve the expected end result it is necessary for the highlighting composition to be precisely applied where desired. Even a little amount of hair highlighting composition at the edge of the applicator may still provide unexpected results as it could easily be transferred from the selected hair strand to unselected ones, especially at the root-line. As a result, an unanticipated and undesired overall final appearance may occur.
It should also be considered for toxicological and safety reasons that if unexpectedly the hair highlighting composition is delivered at the root-line, it may be also transfer to the scalp causing unnecessary irritations.
Finally, hair treatment compositions such as hair highlighting compositions comprise components that need to generate active oxygen to bleach the melanin pigments. In view of their reactive chemical nature most applications of hair highlighting compositions exert a subtle and temporary impairment in hair health. Applicators, such the cap and hook, may stress the hair shaft and may even uproot the hair strand if improperly used. Thus, hair treatment applicators in general but in particular those designed to perform highlighting must not damage the hair and must be gentle to the hair while the user applies the hair treatment composition.
Thus, what still remains unsolved is the provision of a hair treatment applicator to satisfy the home highlighting consumers' needs in terms of avoiding the leaking of the highlight composition from the applicator and easiness to use with one hand, to pick up, grip, hold and lay back down. Moreover, the applicator should be easy to guide through the hair particularly at the root line and to perform several applications irrespective of the hair length. The applicator should provide flexibility for creating a high variety of highlights and new fashions, for shortening the time and costs and for simplifying the highlight performances. The applicator should also not damage the hair while the hair treatment composition is applied. Finally, the applicator should be doubtless light, cheap, disposable or recyclable and easy to produce.
It has now been found that a hair treatment application system (as defined herein after) can significantly improve the highlighting results at home as well as at professional salons.